Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been around for two thousand years.  Its use has been increasing as the western world has caught on to its effectiveness.  Medicines and therapies that do not work quickly fade away, but acupuncture is still growing in popularity.  It has “passed the test of time”.

This technique is very useful for a wide variety of pain problems.  It is very helpful for neck, upper back and lower back pain.  It is also used for joint problems and tendonitis.  Many scientific studies have confirmed this.  I became interested in learning the technique because it relieved my low back pain.  I was a believer when that constant low back pain disappeared!

Acupuncture has many other uses.  It is very effective for nausea, especially for patients with nausea associated with pregnancy, anesthesia and chemotherapy.

Acupuncture is also used for infertility.  The treatments stimulate ovulation, increase blood flow to the uterus and thicken the inner uterine layer.  Women can often become pregnant without the side effects associated with fertility medications.

How does it work?

Acupuncture has many effects – both known and unknown.  The most immediate effect is relief of muscle spasm.  This is where reduction of neck, upper and lower back pain comes in.  Some patients will notice significant relief after the first treatment as their muscles relax.

Acupuncture also relieves pain by interfering with pain signals that travel through the nerves to the brain.  These pain signals must travel from the painful source (low back pain, for example) to the spinal cord and up the spinal cord to the brain.  Acupuncture interferes with the propagation of painful stimuli to the spinal cord, up the spinal cord, and through lower brain centers.  Many of these painful stimuli therefore never reach higher brain centers and they escape notice.

Acupuncture also relieves pain by stimulating nerve cells to produce endorphins.  These are naturally occurring molecules in the body that are shaped like morphine.  Endorphins reduce pain and are part of the body’s natural pain control system.  They are responsible for the “runner’s high” that athletes love to talk about.

New research shows, however, that acupuncture does more than just relieve pain.  Tissue healing is encouraged by the technique.  Proper needle placement stimulates nerve calls to generate proteins called “growth factors”.  We know that these “growth factors” promote tissue healing but the details are fuzzy.  More research needs to be done in this area.

What is an acupuncture treatment like?  How long does it take?  How many treatments are needed?

The treatments take about forty-five minutes.  The needles are put in place and then allowed to remain for about twenty minutes.  The needles are solid not hollow.  They are sterile and are used once and discarded.  They are one fourth of a millimeter in diameter!  I can only feel one needle in ten when I have acupuncture done on my back.

Most patients will respond after one to three treatments.  Some people with more long standing problems will need more than three treatments.  The approach is individualized.

There are many other applications that are less well researched.  These include headaches, anxiety and depression.  Preliminary studies show promise for these and other problems.

Take advantage of this ancient healing art form!  For an appointment please call me at 920-468-8288.

Tom Leonard, M.D.